Two pre-series models of the VW e-Crafter are making parcel deliveries in the city centre of Hamburg, as well as in the St. Pauli and Sternschanze districts

The first fully-electric delivery vehicle in the preferred class of up to 3.5 tonnes

Thanks to its extensive range and large load capacity the VW e-Crafter can fully replace conventional vehicles on inner-city delivery tours

27 February 2018 - In Hamburg DPD Germany is testing two pre-series VW models for the purpose of ensuring emission-free local parcel deliveries. Until the end of the year DPD will be operating two fully-electric VW e-Crafter vehicles in the city centre and in the St. Pauli and Sternschanze districts. With the e-Crafter DPD is testing alternative delivery methods in the city centre, and will subsequently provide VW with feedback on its experience with the vehicle in daily operations.

"In inner-city areas DPD is constantly testing new drive systems and delivery methods aimed at providing local parcel deliveries which are free from emissions", explains Gerd Seber, Group Manager Sustainability & Innovation at DPD Deutschland. "We're delighted that in the VW e-Crafter we can test a model from our preferred vehicle class. In view of the continuing discussion of access restrictions and driving bans in inner-city areas, suitable series-produced vehicles of this size are becoming more important than ever."

With its electric drive and maximum range of up to 160 km the VW e-Crafter is especially suited to parcel delivery operations in the inner city, which consist predominantly of short distances and a large number of stops. The lithium-ion battery of the transporter is integrated completely in the floor of the vehicle, so that the Crafter's load capacity of 10.7 m³ can be used to the full. Depending on the goods which are carried, the maximum load varies between 1.0 and 1.75 tonnes. As a result the vehicle meets all the requirements for implementing delivery tours in the inner city with the same level of productivity as conventional vehicles. This means that a number of the delivery tours made by DPD in Hamburg – which in the past have been carried out with vehicles featuring a conventional drive system – can be switched entirely to the VW e-Crafter. The batteries of the e-Crafter are charged at AC wall boxes with an output of 7.2 kW, which are installed at the DPD depot in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg. Further charging during delivery operations is not necessary on the selected tours.

DPD hopes that the test of these vehicles will provide valuable information about the special features of using fully-electric vehicles in daily operations as part of a delivery fleet, and about the way in which the charging process can be integrated with maximum efficiency into parcel sorting and handling processes. DPD is one of a number of major customers from Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Sweden which are testing the VW e-Crafter in everyday operations.

DrivingChange™: innovative city logistics and much more

"Smart urban logistics" and a "carbon-neutral commitment" are two central pillars of DrivingChange™, DPDgroup's corporate sustainability strategy. Within the scope of this strategy DPD Deutschland has tested a number of electric and hybrid vehicles. However, the VW e-Crafter is the first fully-electric model operated by DPD in the vehicle class up to 3.5 tonnes. At the same time DPD is working on further alternative delivery concepts in support of the emission-free inner city. One example of this is the use of transport bikes in combination with micro depots within urban delivery areas. In addition, DPD is ensuring efficient inner-city deliveries with digital innovations for parcel management. Further areas of action covered by DrivingChange™ are "innovative entrepreneurship" and "social responsibility" (for more information please see www.dpd.de/drivingchange).

About DPD Germany

DPD Germany is part of DPDgroup, the second-largest international parcel delivery network in Europe. Throughout Germany DPD has 78 depots and 6,000 Pickup parcelshops. A workforce of 8,000 and 10,000 delivery drivers are in daily operation on behalf of the company’s customers. Every year the No. 2 on the German parcels market ships around 375 million parcels – providing carbon-neutral transport operations at no additional cost to the customer.

Through innovative technology, local knowledge and dedicated customer care, DPD provides the best possible experience for both shippers and shoppers. DPD’s industry-leading Predict service is setting a new standard for keeping customers closely in touch with their delivery, with real time tracking of their delivery, a one-hour delivery window and a range of options for redirecting parcels. In recognition of this innovation DPD Germany received several awards like the Digital Transformation Award or the UX Design Award.

As part of DPDgroup, DPD Germany has access to over 32,000 local Pickup points across Europe, and delivers to 230 countries worldwide. DPDgroup’s 38,000 people work together to deliver more than 4.8 million parcels each day. The sole shareholder in DPD is GeoPost, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Le Groupe La Poste. GeoPost posted sales of €6.8 billion in the year 2017.